After 7-year-old Victor Gomes Jr. was struck by an SUV on North Main Street earlier this year, breaking his leg, there was considerable confusion about what happened.

Gomes’s family members claimed the driver attempted to flee. Police said the driver was cooperative when they arrived at the scene.

And no one could say for sure whether Victor had put himself in danger near the vehicle before being hit.

A week later, police officers said they had reviewed video surveillance and determined that the boy ran out into the street. They also issued a citation to the driver for leaving the accident scene.

The security footage came from a camera mounted on the outside of The Spot, according to bar owner Chenet Sam, a Boston resident and Verizon engineer.

Sam said this week that although he supports Mayor Bill Carpenter’s recent efforts to expand video surveillance throughout the city, including by mandating extensive security systems at bars and restaurants open after midnight, he is among those bar owners who are already proactively helping police fight crime.

“I know bars sometimes get a bad rap and sometimes crime does happen,” Sam said. “But we’re just trying to do the right thing.”

The Spot, at 133 N. Main St., has several exterior and interior cameras, likely enough to cover the requirements Carpenter has pitched to the License Commission, Sam said. His 16-day video storage capacity, however, would not meet the minimum 30 days the mayor has asked the commission to approve.

In recent weeks, Carpenter has embarked on a three-pronged effort to cover much of the city in video surveillance. He is asking businesses to voluntarily install outside cameras and has mandated that businesses open by special permit between 1 and 5 a.m. install security systems.

Carpenter’s bar and restaurant proposal had its first public vetting last month, and the License Commission is scheduled to hold a further hearing July 23. Sam said he plans to take Carpenter up on an offer to meet privately with bar owners ahead of the July meeting.

The bar owner purchased the mixed-use building in 2004. Two years ago, Sam said he decided to take over the existing bar to create a safer overall atmosphere for his upstairs tenants. He installed additional surveillance equipment and, after the April accident, added another exterior camera to cover the street in both the north and south directions.

“As a business owner, you want to protect yourself,” Sam said. “I never knew that it would become part of a larger plan that would help the area.”

Victor Gomes Sr., a bartender at The Spot, said he was grateful for the video surveillance because it cleared up the confusion surrounding his son’s accident. He also appreciates the affect the cameras have on bar patrons.